Cleveland Vintage Blog — History
Erie Street Cemetery: Cleveland's Oldest Existing Cemetery
Progressive Field holds one unique distinction over all other Major League Baseball stadiums in that it sits right next to a cemetery (which does make for a very scenic walk to the ballpark). And not just any cemetery: Progressive Field is neighbors with Erie Street Cemetery, the oldest existing cemetery in the city. Established in 1826 at what was then the edge of the city, Erie Street Cemetery is also named after East 9th Street's original name and contains more than 17,000 internments. This includes many of the city's earliest residents and veterans who served in the Revolutionary War up...
Why Doesn't Ohio Have a State Dinosaur?
Did you know that fifteen states (and Washington D.C.) have an official dinosaur? And did you know that I was ENRAGED to find out that Ohio doesn't have one? Well, at least until I saw the typical criteria for nominating a state dinosaur. As it goes, the typical process is that a state's official dinosaur is tied to a major discovery that takes place within the state. For instance, the Triceratops horridus was originally found in Wyoming, and therefore it became the state's official dinosaur in 1994. All that being said... who cares? Ohio should just have a state dinosaur...
Led Zeppelin, the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, and Cleveland's Connection
The Musicarnival is one of the many long-gone Cleveland rock institutions, a summer tent theater that operated on the grounds of Thistledown Race Track from 1954 to 1975. All types of major rock acts would make their way through the Musicarnival, including Led Zeppelin on one particularly big night for the world. Now, if you're a fan of rock and roll history or Cleveland music history in general I would highly recommend Smoky, Sweaty, Rowdy and Loud: Tales of Cleveland's Legendary Rock & Roll Landmarks by Mike and Janice Olszewski. It's a fantastic, in-depth history of Cleveland's rock and roll scene...
USS Cleveland Commissioned Into Active Service in City Namesake
Our great city has yet another reason to proudly stick out its chest, thanks to the commission into naval service of the fourth vessel to proudly carry the name USS Cleveland. The ceremony to make it official took place on May 16th after a week-long celebration, as the vessel sat docked at North Coast Yard. What makes the event even more special is that this is the first naval vessel to be put into service in the state of Ohio in the 250-year history of the United States, a true honor for not only the city, but for those who...
History of the Richfield Coliseum, an Arena Ahead of Its Time
Nick Mileti’s vision for building "The Palace on the Prairie" - The Richfield Coliseum - was two-fold. He aimed to build one of the largest indoor seating capacity facilities in the country - 20,273 for basketball and 18,544 for hockey - while at the same time increasing the fan base potential for both his Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Crusaders, strategically placing his arena between Cleveland and Akron at the Route 303 exit off Interstate 271. Initially, the vision worked beautifully. From the very first event, a concert by none other than Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, on October 26th,...